Sir Winston Churchill, delivering a commence address,
once said, “this is not the beginning of the end, but the end
of the beginning.”

Words that easily could be adapted and applied to the
Greater Blackfoot Area Greenbelt.

About 60 people turned out Wednesday to mark the end
of an eight-year process to construct a recreational trail near Interstate
15 in Blackfoot. Using Churchill’s reasoning, though, the enthusiastic
crowd really celebrated the beginning of a trail system that will serve
recreationalists for generations.

The 6.5-mile trail connects Jensen’s Grove, a popular
park near the Snake River with Rose Ponds. Traveling the 10-foot wide
path actually equates to a 10-mile journey.

Even before the final loop was added, with the help of
ITD and federal enhancement funds, the trail had achieved a place of
prominence among bicyclists, walkers and joggers. Blackfoot Mayor Scott
Reese said the first calls his office receives after a snowstorm is
how soon the trail will be plowed.

The city purchased a special pick-up-mounted plow to
keep the path open even during inclement weather.

Rep. Joe Cannon, also a principal in Cannon Builders
Inc., introduced family members and acknowledged their help in securing
materials and providing labor for construction of an arched wooden bridge
across the Danskin Canal. It serves as a critical link in the Greenbelt
and was the site of Wednesday’s banner-breaking ceremony.

Following their remarks, local officials mounted bicycles
at the far end of the arched bridge and rode through a banner, officially
opening the route to public use.

In truly multimodal fashion, transportation board members
arrived via Operation Lifesaver, a replica of a locomotive engine and
open-air rail car (actually a tractor-pulled trailer), and departed
via chartered bus. They included the trail ceremony on their District
5 tour and August board meeting.